Delay causes missed flight
 

Hour delay at FLL caused us to miss our flight in Atlanta. Last flight of the day[bad on me] so stuck in Atlanta. Delta says the delay was caused by the FAA so offered us nothing. Before the flight and during the flight I made it known that we had a chance to make our connecting flight but nothing was done to help us. For example on the the plane we were in row 26 and nothing was mentioned on the plane to help us get off quicker. I guess it was just bad luck. Still not happy with Delta.

What was the destination...connection on DL?

Happens pretty much every day on every airline -- https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/36100873-post1.html
Missed a connection once in ATL (also last flight) for DEN-ATL-DTW due to FAs allowing a known sick pax on flight who had to use restroom while taxiing to runway (pilot had to pull over). Flight was initially delayed into DEN from MSP due to ATC and ATL staff refused to provide hotel.

Consider travel insurance or book the trip with a Credit Card that comes with travel insurance as a cardholder benefit and then you don't have to worry about whether the airline will consider costs you incur in a delay a reimbursable scenario or not.

Side note: do announcements about "if you don't have a tight connection or this is your final destination, please stay seated to allow those with connections to get off sooner" really matter or do they just make people feel better that the airline is putting on a front of trying to do something?

I have not once seen that announcement actually work for the passengers who need it. Flyers are collectively all jerks who immediately fill the aisles, open bins, and use every last inch of path space with our rollaboards as soon as the fasten seat belt sign goes off at the gate.

I think it's less about "being a jerk" and more about "it doesn't really work to begin with." The only people who can drive a benefit are either groups traveling together and all in the same row and stay seated as a group or people in window seats. But if I'm in the aisle seat and the window or middle seat passenger needs to get up because they have a tight connection, once I stand up to let them out, it's just as fast for me to grab my bag and just go versus maneuvering around to try to make space for them and getting back into my seat just to create the illusion of making it faster. Throw in additional headaches if those with tight connections are having to swim against the flow to get their stuff several rows back because overhead bin space was out above their row when they boarded.

What would speed up the process is if more people would be ready to go when it's actually their turn instead of loitering until the flow finally opens up.

Be careful with this. "FAA delay" might or might not be a "covered hazard" with some credit cards.

You were probably one of 50 or 60 if not more connecting passengers on that flight.

Because DL lists boarding time, pax in Main 2 want to be at the gate 40+ min before departure even though they won’t be called until ~20 min before the flight, so they have a sense of urgency.

Approximately 2/3 of pax at ATL are connecting. 2/3 of all passengers are middle or window. Meaning: there’s an 80% chance at least one inside person per row needs to get out. Meaning everyone gets out. In every single row.

That’s why these announcements fail.

That’s true and a point I forgot about. Looking at my BP from the other day in “My Wallet” on my phone from a Delta flight, that particular BP format only displays boarding time. Departure time isn’t even listed. This human factor consideration drives someone who doesn’t look close enough and might misread to think “oh my God my next flight leaves in 20 minutes!” and not realize boarding time is 40 minutes before departure time and that they really have an hour, not 20 minutes. I certainly see this play out when we pull into the gate early and someone is trying to barge their way forward with the “my connection! my connection” and they give a line about how their plane is leaving in a time that’s less than minimum connection time for that airport despite us being early. Unless they were rebooked to a later flight and are trying to make the original connection they’re either misreading their boarding time versus departure time or they’re just full of baloney.

It’s window dressing because everyone gets up anyway.

And many of those without tight connections in ATL want to make the most of their lounge experience, so they don’t even consider losing in the race for the exit 😄

except those who don’t, because they’re on the last leg of their trip and have no sense of urgency to get to baggage claim or their car or wherever …

I was recently on a flight where my connection was going to be tight. Our flight was late and an announcement was made about accommodating people (which sometimes help). I was in a window seat and told those sitting next to me that I was going to bolt as I was one of those people (last international flight of the day). They accommodated me. My timing was such that once the the ding went off I had my bag and was moving through people who were just getting up while saying excuse me tight connection. I got about 10 rows up before hitting the bottle neck. Not quite to FC but close enough. I probably gained at best 90-120 seconds. Had my connection been tighter I would have asked and push my way through. I and several others made the connection with time to spare ... my bag made it too.

As such, the announcement at least gives other PAX notice that people might be trying to move through. But at the same time one needs to be proactive and be polite but force their way to the front.

On a Christmas Eve flight into MSP, my seat mate looked at his boarding pass as we were landing and panicked that he had a negative connection time: the legal MCT allowed the previous flight to be scheduled to land after the boarding time shown on the boarding pass for the next flight. It was sudden panic and my pointing out that he was seeing the boarding time and not the departure time didn't help much. I was in the aisle of the second row of FC and as soon as the seatbelt sign went off, I jumped into the aisle and took a big step back to allow him to be the first passenger to get to the door of the aircraft. I later checked and his flight had a short delay, so I assume he made it home for Christmas.